Volunteering.

Foundation Is Looking For A Few Good Wish Granters

Bill Martin can hardly imagine a more satisfying job than helping make children's dreams come true.

That is exactly what the Oak Lawn resident has done for the past eight years as a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois.

"Make-A-Wish helps me appreciate and celebrate life," Martin said. "One of the misconceptions is that we deal only with dying kids. We deal with kids who have life-threatening illnesses."

Martin is partnered as a wish granter with his brother, Bob, of Chicago. The two meet with the families of ill children, get to know them and then help the child's wish come true, whether it is a trip to Disney World or a meeting with a sports star.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has 500 volunteers, 325 of whom are wish granters. Being a wish granter requires special talents, said Tina Rounds, the organization's volunteer services and human resources manager.

"We're looking for people who have had experience working with families," Rounds said. "The ideal person is a social worker, a nurse or someone who has raised (a family). We need people who can work autonomously. It's kind of independent work."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois estimates it will grant 345 wishes this year.

One of the more unusual wishes the Martins have worked to grant was for a young boy who wanted a model train setup that re-created a trip he had taken from Chicago to California. The Martins recruited a carpenter, an electrician and a model train expert to make the wish come true.

Bill Martin said he likes asking children, "What would be your favorite wish in the whole wide world?" He also likes the feeling he gets from his volunteer work.

"We go into a family's home and really get a sense of the love of a parent for a child and of a child for a parent," he said. "We see the hope for good health, the potential for a child's life -- all the things that are important in life."